Psychoeducational (Educational) Assessments
Psychoeducational Assessments are available to students in elementary, high school, college, university and graduate school. It is generally best to wait until a child is at least 6- years old before completing an educational assessment to investigate and diagnose a specific learning disorder. It is not impossible to complete this assessment earlier, especially for children who are at-risk and may require immediate and intensive interventions. However, we prefer to wait until a child has had adequate exposure to the school curriculum before attempting to determine whether they meet the diagnostic criteria for a learning disability.
There are times that a child’s learning problems go unidentified and are only detected when they begin high school, college or university. These students are entitled to the academic support that is available at every Ontario college and university. However, a Psychoeducational Assessment completed by a Registered Psychologist or Psychological Associate is necessary to establish the students’ eligibility for available accommodations.
Adults who may have had past learning challenges could benefit from a
Psychoeducational Assessment to enter college, university, graduate school or complete examinations for their professional designations. Others may have already had an assessment in the past but require an updated Psychoeducational Assessment to gain current accommodations for completing the entrance examinations (e.g., GRE, LSAT, MCAT) required by their respective program.
It is not unusual for a professional with a learning disability to complete, for example, law school or medical school, then struggle to pass the bar or professional examinations. Additionally, after completing their studies, an adult with a learning disability, language disorder, ADHD etcetera may continue to require support and accommodations within the workplace. Therefore, completing a Psychoeducational Assessment could provide the basis for gaining appropriate accommodations (e.g., extra time). Such accommodations may be necessary for them to demonstrate their intellectual abilities and overall potential. Otherwise, they may continue to struggle with completing their responsibilities or find it difficult to establish an appropriate work-life balance.
Psychological Assessments
Psychological Assessments prepared by a qualified Psychologist or Psychological Associate can identify and diagnose issues impacting an individual’s development, behaviour, socioemotional functioning and personality development.
A psychological assessment is a structured evaluation of a child’s, adolescent’s or adult’s psychological development. It is a thorough assessment of their intellectual abilities, memory, social, behavioural, emotional functioning and personality development. A Psychological Assessment is recommended when children, adolescents or adults experience problems that interfere with their degree of satisfaction in life and or their ability to function effectively within social, occupational, academic or other important domains.
A Psychological Assessment would identify and diagnose mental health problems and neurodevelopmental disorders. For example, it could identify and diagnose autism spectrum disorder, developmental coordination disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar, OCD, etcetera. Importantly, Toronto Psychological Services & Research Centre provides clients with recommendations based on available research evidence concerning effective interventions for addressing the identified problems. Additionally, we include a comprehensive Therapy Treatment Plan with your final assessment report.
Toronto Psychological Services & Research Centre is keen on providing clients with a comprehensive evaluation that is client-centred, thorough, and consistent with available research evidence. Moreover, it is our experience that clients whose subsequent therapy is conducted based on a treatment plan that addresses their specific challenges are more likely to progress through therapy more seamlessly. Additionally, these clients can expect to make therapeutic gains more rapidly because their therapist has the advantage of understanding and treating the underlining conditions from the outset of their therapeutic journey.
Toronto Psychological Services & Research Centre offers a range of assessments that fall under two broad categories: Psychological Assessments & Psychoeducational (Educational) Assessments.
For more information about assessments or to book an appointment with one of our clinical therapists, call (416) 531-0727 or email info@tornonpsychologicalservices.com.